Government

Mayor Dick Heaton told the Bardstown City Council members and its audience Tuesday that Fire Chief Randy Walker’s vanishing without a word to anyone was still a mystery.

“All I can say is that it took all of us by surprise,” he said.

Walker walked away overnight Monday after leaving a terse, two-sentence letter in Human Resources Director Greg Ashworth’s mailbox at City Hall. It simply said he was resigning effective immediately and that any property he had belonging to the city would be found in his office.

Judicial elections are nonpartisan, but two of the three announced candidates for the 3rd District seat on the Kentucky Supreme Court campaigned last weekend at a partisan event — the annual Nelson County Republican Picnic at My Old Kentucky Home State Park.

Dan Ballou, a circuit judge in Whitley and McCreary counties, and Debra Lambert, a judge for the Kentucky Court of Appeals, had an opportunity to speak along with other officials and were interviewed about their candidacies.

Councilwoman Kecia Copeland had to excuse herself from a Bardstown City Council meeting Tuesday during final approval of a budget amendment.

One of the reasons for the amendment was to cover a $40,000 settlement with Copeland to absolve the city and its officials and employees — past and present — of any liability involving actions taken against her during the administration of former Mayor John Royalty, who was removed from office by the council.

City and county industrial parks are running out of land, remote housing developments make it costly to provide water and sewer, and the state pension crisis threatens to delay needed projects.

On the other side of the ledger, city and county firefighters are working to improve mutual aid, the sheriff wants to work more closely with the city’s new police administration, and the E-911 dispatch system is improving.

Bardstown’s city budget must be amended by $40,000 to pay the city’s settlement to Councilwoman Kecia Copeland.

Last month the council agreed to pay her that amount to avoid a lawsuit against the city over actions against her by the former mayor, John Royalty, and members of his staff under his direction. Her allegations included defamation, violation of her privacy and civil rights, infliction of emotional distress and conspiracy.

The Stoli Group, which bought Kentucky Owl Bourbon this year, hasn’t decided where to build its new distillery, but Bardstown is making a play for it.

After an hour-long meeting Tuesday night, the Bardstown City Council unanimously approved a resolution to enter into an agreement to offer the company industrial revenue bonds in an amount up to $149,750 to build and equip a distillery, bottling plant and warehouses in Bardstown.

“It has been a pleasure being a part of the Bloomfield City Council,” Glisson said. “I am proud of all that we have accomplished and I have no doubt the board will continue these successes in the future.”

The Bardstown City Council gave final approval Tuesday to property tax rates that will remain unchanged for the third year.

City legislators, after the second reading of the ordinance, voted unanimously to keep the rates at 18.2 cents per $100 of assessed value for real estate, 19.1 cents for personal property and 24 cents for cars, trucks and boats for the 2018 fiscal year that began July 1 and runs through June 30, 2018.